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Tengai Daiou

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Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Tengai Daiō, King Tengai, Heavenly Canopy King
Category: Mollusc

The Myth

Tengai Daiou is a gigantic octopus who claims to be the King of Hell. He appears dressed like Enma Daiō, the ruler of the underworld, wearing robes decorated with waves and carrying a wooden implement in place of a sceptre. Despite his grand title and fearsome appearance, Tengai Daiou is an impostor with no rightful connection to the underworld. He secretly plots to kill Enma and seize control of Hell for himself.

His story unfolds when the heroic Asahina Kobayashi, returning from a journey through Hell, overhears children singing about a special realm called Sweet Potato Hell. Having visited the recognised 136 Hells, she regrets missing this additional destination and immediately turns back to investigate. Sweet Potato Hell lies beyond the usual boundaries of the underworld, where the King of the Heavenly Canopy judges the dead of the sweet potato. Its sinners endure punishments inspired by popular beliefs about different varieties of potatoes, including being weighed, grated, peeled, or subjected to unbearable stench. Asahina, a lover of sweet potatoes, feels pity for the suffering vegetables and attacks the false ruler with a gigantic medicinal kettle taken from the Scorching Hell.

Asahina captures Tengai Daiou and brings him before the true King Enma, who is furious at the impostor’s attempt to fabricate a Hell and usurp his authority. He sentences the octopus to an iron prison, where it is boiled in the Scorching Hell and transformed into the cooked octopus known as yakuko, which Asahina receives as a souvenir. The tale plays humorously on the traditional belief that octopuses eat sweet potatoes, as well as the slang term tengai, used by Buddhist monks to refer to an octopus.

Sources

“Tengai Daio.” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1010655116.html

Tako Musume

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Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Tako-musume, Octopus Daughter
Category: Mollusc

The Myth

Tako Musume is a strange female yōkai depicted in a Japanese collection of supernatural creatures produced during the late Edo period. She is portrayed as a monstrous woman with an enormous head, giving her an unusual and unsettling appearance.

Beyond this depiction, little is known about Tako Musume’s characteristics or behaviour. Her surviving description focuses on her extraordinary head and her identity as a female monster, leaving her supernatural abilities and role in mythology unclear.

Sources

“Tako Musume.” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1010654256.html

Kower

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Tradition: Estonian Mythology
Alternative Names: Kower, Köwer-silm
Category: Goblin

The Myth

Kower is a forest spirit in Estonian folklore that takes the form of a cross-eyed man. He wanders through the forest and hides inside twisted, unnaturally shaped birch trees. His unusual appearance and association with strangely formed trees distinguish him from ordinary human beings and connect him to the mysterious features of the woodland.

Kower is associated with the legend of the magical forest of Tohtla. Within this forest, the spirit conceals himself among birch trees whose distorted shapes make them seem unnatural. He is therefore linked to the hidden and uncanny aspects of the forest, inhabiting places where the trees themselves appear strange.

The name Kower is associated with the meaning “oblique” or “crooked,” reflecting the spirit’s cross-eyed appearance. A related Estonian name, Köwer-silm, literally means “slanted eye” or “crooked eye.” These names emphasize the unusual appearance of this elusive forest being.

Sources

“Kover.” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). https://www.bestiary.us/kover

Vanakhalby

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Tradition: Estonian Mythology
Alternative Names: Vanahalb, Vanasõge, Vanasygi
Category: Goblin

The Myth

Vanakhalby are malevolent forest spirits in Estonian mythology that lead travellers astray, forcing them to wander through the woods for long periods. They can imitate echoes to confuse people, drawing them into swamps or impenetrable thickets from which it may be difficult to escape. Their tricks make them dangerous inhabitants of the forest, where familiar sounds and paths can become deceptive.

These spirits can appear in the form of grey-haired elders and may sometimes be accompanied by herds of wild animals. Their alternative names reflect their association with old age, evil, and unusual physical characteristics. Vanahalb literally means “old devil,” while Vanasõge means “old crazy one.” Vanasygi is another variant of the name, literally meaning “old blind men,” reflecting the traditional association between blindness or one-eyedness and malevolent spirits.

Despite their ability to mislead travellers, Vanakhalby can also bring good fortune under certain circumstances. A hunter who manages to make a pact with one of these spirits is guaranteed exceptional luck. This makes them ambiguous figures: dangerous tricksters who can torment those who enter their territory, yet potentially valuable supernatural allies to those who secure their favour.

Sources

“Vanahalby.” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). https://www.bestiary.us/vanahalby

Nülesmurt

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Tradition: Udmurt Mythology, Russian Mythology
Alternative Names: Nyulesmurt
Category: Goblin

The Myth

Nülesmurt, whose name literally means “forest man,” is a wood goblin in Udmurt mythology who serves as master of the forest and lord of the beasts. He governs the animals living in the woods, particularly bears, and determines where each bear should establish its den. As ruler of the forest, Nülesmurt holds authority over the wilderness and the creatures that inhabit it.

Hunters turn to Nülesmurt for help and assistance during the hunt. His influence over the forest’s animals makes him an important supernatural figure for people who depend on hunting for their livelihood. He is also sometimes associated with deceased ancestors, connecting his role as a forest spirit with beliefs about the dead.

Nülesmurt is further linked to dangerous natural phenomena. The forest blockages associated with him were believed to occur when a hurricane or tornado passed through an area, leaving fallen trees and other obstacles in its wake. Because of this association, Nülesmurt was sometimes considered responsible for the death of people caught in such events.

The spirit is also connected to the Vym and Vumurt rivers, where fierce battles were said to take place between Nülesmurt and Vumurt. These supernatural conflicts were believed to occur around midday. People consequently feared swimming or entering the river at this time, believing that doing so could expose them to danger.

Sources

“Nyulesmurt.” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). https://www.bestiary.us/Nyulesmurt

Hiisi

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Tradition: Finnish Mythology
Alternative Names: Hiidet (plural), Hiiden eukko (Hiisi Queen)
Category: Goblin

The Myth

The Hiisi are supernatural beings associated with Finland’s deep forests, mountains, caves, crevices, and waters. Their forms vary considerably: some accounts describe them as small, goblin-like creatures living in rocky places, while others portray them as giants capable of moving enormous boulders into remarkable formations. They are also regarded as powerful ancient nature gods. The giant’s kettles found in Finnish landscapes are traditionally called hiidenkirnu, meaning Hiisi’s churn, reflecting the beings’ association with extraordinary rock formations.

The Hiisi inhabit wild places known as their own lands. Mountains are called Hiisi’s Castles, and forests are considered their territory. In Finnish tradition, different kinds of Hiisi are associated with particular environments, including the forest Hiisi, water Hiisi, mountain Hiisi, and earth Hiisi. Their presence was treated with caution, and people entering their domains were advised to protect themselves with magical iron equipment. Traditional Finnish magical songs describe iron caps, coats, helmets, gloves, and boots worn by those venturing into Hiisi’s lands.

The Hiisi are sometimes portrayed as a supernatural household consisting of Hiisi himself, the Hiisi Queen, their daughters and sons, servants, and animals. The mountains serve as their castles, and human men may travel there seeking brides among the Hiisi daughters. Upon arriving, they are received by the Hiisi Queen, who assigns them tasks. The Hiisi thus inhabit a distinct otherworldly society, complete with family relationships, servants, dwellings, and skilled craftspeople.

In older Finnish religious tradition, Hiisi was associated with the forest and the success of hunters. Bishop Mikael Agricola included Hiisi in his list of ancient Finnish gods in 1551, describing him as a forest god who helped hunters obtain prey. The name also referred to sacred places in forests where people made sacrifices to the gods. Over time, however, the Hiisi increasingly acquired darker characteristics and became associated with devils and malevolent supernatural forces.

In their more dangerous aspect, the Hiisi attack humans and animals, cause accidents, and inflict mysterious pain. Together with their companion Lempo, they are said to shoot invisible arrows into living creatures. In the Kalevala, the Finnish shaman Väinämöinen suffers a severe injury when Hiisi and Lempo interfere with his axe, causing it to strike rock and send fragments into his knee. Yet the Hiisi retain their older status as formidable nature powers, and their aid can still be invoked in difficult circumstances.

Finnish healers and shamans call upon the Hiisi to help stop bleeding and overcome harmful supernatural influences. Invocations summon the mountain Hiisi, the Water Goblin, or the entire Hiisi household and nation, calling upon their power to consume or destroy the source of an affliction. They may also be summoned to punish evildoers. In traditional spells, Hiisi’s bloody cloak or gory covering is invoked against people who use the evil eye, curse others, or attempt to cause harm through malicious observation.

The Hiisi are also renowned as master blacksmiths who forge weapons inside mountain smithies. Their supernatural craftsmanship extends to the creation of extraordinary animals. According to Finnish magical songs, they fashioned a horse from iron and steel, with a stone head and rocky hooves. They also created the Hiisi elk, Hiiden hirvi, into which they breathed an evil spirit before sending it into the world to spread chaos. Through these traditions, the Hiisi emerge as ambiguous powers: ancient guardians of the wild, skilled creators, and dangerous spirits whose influence can bring either assistance or destruction.

Sources

“Goblins: Bloody Cloth.” Finnish Mythology, June 23, 2018. https://finnmyth.wordpress.com/2018/06/23/goblins-bloody-cloth/

Manilaq

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Tradition: Canadian Mythology
Alternative Names: Manilaq
Category: Goblin

The Myth

Manilaq is a frightening female supernatural being associated with the pack ice in Inuit Canadian mythology. Her appearance is described as so terrifying that encountering her can cause a person to collapse and lose consciousness. Despite her frightening nature, she can become a helping spirit to those who encounter her.

One hunter met Manilaq during the previous summer while wandering in the mountains. Her dreadful appearance caused him to fall unconscious. He only regained consciousness when his dog licked his navel. Following this encounter, Manilaq became his helping spirit.

Manilaq has a particular ability to assist hunters in obtaining prey. Her speciality is securing quarry through the mother of the sea animal, suggesting a connection to the supernatural forces governing marine animals and hunting success. Although her appearance inspires terror, her role as a helping spirit makes her a valuable ally to the hunter.

Sources

Rasmussen, Knud. Intellectual Culture of the Hudson Bay Eskimos. Copenhagen: Gyldendalske Boghandel, 1930. https://archive.org/search.php?query=creator%3A%22Rasmussen%2C+Knud%2C+1879-1933%22

Chaneque

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Tradition: Mexican Mythology
Alternative Names: Chanekeh, Ohuican Chaneque
Category: Goblin

The Myth

Chaneques are small, sprite-like supernatural beings associated with forests, rivers, caves, and other places connected to the natural world. They are usually described as short in stature and often naked. Some accounts portray them as childlike figures with the faces of elderly men or women, while others describe a little black man who hops and jumps, sometimes wearing a wide-brimmed sombrero. Their appearance varies between regions and traditions. Children are said to see them more easily than adults, and they may reveal their presence through singing, screaming, or crying.

The Chaneques are closely connected to the earth and water and are regarded in many traditions as guardians of nature. They can communicate with jungle animals and protect the places they inhabit. Some are believed to watch over crops, guard homes against intruders, and prevent evil beings from entering. In exchange for their protection, villagers traditionally left them offerings. Travellers entering the forest could also wear their clothing inside out as a means of protection against these spirits.

Despite their protective role, Chaneques are unpredictable and can become mischievous or hostile. They enjoy leading people astray, sometimes causing victims to wander for several days and suffer memory lapses. Some legends explain these experiences by claiming that the Chaneques carry their victims into the underworld, Mictlán or Chiconauhmictlán. The entrance to this realm is sometimes located inside a dried kapok tree. Other accounts describe Chaneques frightening intruders so severely that their souls leave their bodies. Without a special ritual to reunite the soul with its body, the victim may fall ill and die.

Chaneques can also inflict physical harm. In some stories, they bruise people, provoke terror, or play cruel tricks on those who anger them. They have also been associated with sexual encounters and the abduction of young men and women. A historical document from 1676 records a young man’s account of sexual experiences with a female duende, a term sometimes used for beings comparable to Chaneques. These accounts reflect the varied and sometimes troubling roles attributed to the spirits in Mexican folklore.

The character of the Chaneques differs considerably across local traditions. Some are helpful guardians, while others are troublesome or dangerous beings that delight in frightening humans and disrupting their lives. Historical accounts influenced by Christianity sometimes portrayed them as demons associated with the Devil. In a colonial-era tale by Artemio de Valle-Arizpe, a Chaneque torments a woman named Doña Luisa, inflicting bruises and causing fear. Such stories illustrate how older beliefs about nature spirits became intertwined with Christian interpretations of supernatural beings.

Known by names such as Chanekeh and Ohuican Chaneque, these beings form part of a broader tradition of small supernatural figures found throughout Mexico and Mesoamerica. Their association with forests, water, crops, and household protection reflects a belief that the natural world is inhabited by unseen beings that may help or harm those who encounter them. Respect, offerings, and protective customs were ways of maintaining a cautious relationship with these unpredictable spirits.

Sources

“Chaneque.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 17, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaneque

Curupira

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Tradition: Brazilian Mythology, Paraguayan Mythology, Guyana Mythology
Alternative Names: Currupira, Korupira
Category: Goblin

The Myth

The Curupira is a small, humanoid forest spirit known for its unusual appearance and backward-facing feet. Its feet point in the opposite direction from those of an ordinary human, allowing it to leave footprints that mislead trackers. It is commonly described as a short Indigenous-looking figure, sometimes bald on the head but covered in long, shaggy body hair. Some accounts give it enormous ears and blue or green teeth, while others describe a bright red face, cloven feet, or a single eye. Its hair is sometimes portrayed as red or orange, although this feature may reflect confusion with another Brazilian forest spirit, the Caipora. The Curupira’s appearance varies considerably between regions.

The Curupira inhabits forests across Brazil, Paraguay, and the Guianas, where it acts as a guardian of the natural world. It punishes people who recklessly cut down trees or exploit the forest. One of its characteristic tricks is to make intruders lose their way, causing them to wander endlessly among the trees without finding their way home. Its backward-facing footprints make it especially difficult to follow its movements: anyone attempting to track or escape the creature may instead find themselves following it deeper into the wilderness. The Curupira can also cause nightmares, inspire troubling thoughts, and sow distrust and discord between people.

The Curupira’s temperament differs between accounts. Early Jesuit descriptions from São Paulo portray it as a feared supernatural being capable of inflicting terrible injuries, whose favour could be secured through offerings. In other traditions, it appears as a mischievous trickster that sometimes bungles its schemes and allows humans to outsmart it. Despite this more playful portrayal, it remains dangerous, capable of causing misfortune and death. Its ability to confuse and deceive people has also led to its association with lies and misleading thoughts.

According to some traditions, the Curupira has a wife and children who live inside the hollow trunks of dead trees. Its female relatives are described as having long hair, and the family sometimes enters cultivated fields to steal manioc. Other accounts portray its wife as an ugly, malicious woman who assists in its misdeeds. Some versions even identify the youngest child as Saci, another well-known figure in Brazilian folklore. The Curupira is also sometimes depicted riding a deer, rabbit, pig, or peccary, and in stories from Pernambuco it may be accompanied by a dog named Papa-mel.

Hunters can sometimes appease the Curupira by leaving offerings of tobacco or cachaça, a spirit distilled from sugarcane. The creature is particularly fond of tobacco and may reward hunters who provide it, although they are expected to keep the arrangement secret from their wives. These offerings reflect the belief that the forest spirit can be approached through respect and gifts, even though its behaviour remains unpredictable.

As a guardian of the forest, the Curupira embodies both the dangers of the wilderness and the consequences of exploiting it. It protects trees and wildlife by confusing, frightening, or punishing those who abuse the natural environment. Its backward feet, deceptive tricks, and shifting appearance make it a formidable opponent for anyone who enters the forest without respect for the supernatural forces believed to dwell there.

Sources

“Curupira.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 17, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curupira

Pukwudgie

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Tradition: American Mythology
Alternative Names: Puk-Wudjie, Pukwudgee, Puck Wudj Ininee, Bokwjimen, Bgoji-nini, Bagwajinini
Category: Goblin

The Myth

Pukwudgies are small, humanoid supernatural beings that resemble little wild men of the forest. They are usually described as knee-high, standing around two to three feet tall, with gray skin, unusually large noses and ears, and long fingers. These creatures can change their shape into dangerous animals, including cougars and porcupines, and can appear or disappear at will. Some traditions also warn that a Pukwudgie can harm a person simply by staring at them.

The nature of Pukwudgies varies between Indigenous traditions. In some Ojibwe accounts, they are mischievous little people whose tricks cause trouble, while Wampanoag traditions portray them as more dangerous and menacing. They are associated with the wilderness and can use poisoned arrows, short knives, and spears to attack people. They may lure travellers to their deaths in the forest, push victims from cliffs, start fires, blind people by throwing sand at them, and kidnap children. Their unpredictable behaviour makes them beings that should not be treated with disrespect.

One Ojibwe story describes the origin of the Pukwudgies through a boy named Wa-Dais-Ais-Imid, who lived with his sister and possessed the ability to become invisible. He hunted animals and repeatedly stole prey gathered by the culture hero Manabozho. Although the boy initially escaped detection, Manabozho eventually became determined to kill him. The boy fled into the mountains and among the rocks, telling his sister that he would henceforth be known as Puck Wudj Ininee. This figure became associated with the little people of the wilderness.

In Wampanoag mythology, the Pukwudgies were originally well-intentioned helper spirits, although their efforts frequently went wrong. Over time, they became increasingly mischievous and hostile, causing suffering among humans. The people appealed to the giant Maushop and his wife, Granny Squanit, for protection. Maushop gathered up many Pukwudgies and scattered them across New England, killing some and leaving the survivors disoriented. However, the surviving creatures eventually regrouped and resumed their mischief. They began kidnapping children and driving people to seek refuge deeper in the woods.

Pukwudgies therefore occupy an ambiguous place in Indigenous folklore: they may be troublesome tricksters, but in some traditions they are dangerous forest beings capable of serious harm. Their ability to shapeshift, vanish, and exploit the wilderness makes them unpredictable supernatural neighbours whose behaviour can range from bungling mischief to deadly hostility.

Sources

“Pukwudgie.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 17, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pukwudgie